Pets In Bed – New Study

While I usually insist that my puppy buyers crate train their puppies, there is some merit to this study. It is not however, a reason to ignore crate training and I will post about the hows and whys in the near future.

You may get a better sleep if your dog spends the night by your side,
according to a new study by the Mayo Clinic.

The Mayo Clinic surveyed 150 patients at its Center for Sleep Medicine
in Arizona and found that of the 74 individuals who lived with pets,
more than half (56 percent) allowed their pets to sleep with them at
night. Of the individuals surveyed, 41 percent reported that their pet
either did not disrupt their sleep or actually helped improve sleep by
providing warmth, contentment, or relaxation. Individuals also claimed
that having a pet in bed made them feel a sense of companionship when
sleeping alone due to a lack of partner or a traveling partner.

“Many pet owners view companion animals as family members that they wish
to incorporate into as many aspects of their life as possible,” the
study said. “Because humans spend considerable time sleeping, a pet
owner’s desire to have animals close at night is understandable.”

Previously, scientists have reported that this habit could be
problematic. A 2011 study claimed that allowing pets in the bed could
put a person at risk of certain zoonotic diseases, such as plague,
meningitis, and parasitic infections. And a 2014 Mayo Clinic study found
that more than half of patients at the Center for Sleep Medicine were
pet owners who claimed their companions disrupted their sleep.

Beneficial or not, sharing a bed with a pet seems to be the preferred
sleeping arrangement. According to an AKC survey, 45 percent of dog
owners claim that their dog spends the night in the owner’s bed (another
20 percent of dog owners say their dog sleeps in a crate, and 17 percent
say their dog has his own bed).